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Pittsburgh has long been a place where things are made. Today, that legacy continues as the region has established itself as a hub for the maker movement.

As a steel town with a legacy as a manufacturing hub, Pittsburgh has long been a place where things are made. Today, that legacy continues as the region has established itself as a hub for the maker movement, a growing international community of DIYers, professionals, hobbyists, and students who use technology, tools, and materials to create new things.

Why Making?

Makers are tinkerers, DIYers, technologists, students, inventors, hackers, artisans, and designers who use tools and materials to create. From nine-year-old Caine Monroy and his now-famous arcade to Mythbusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage to the thousands of people selling their furniture, jewelry, and household goods on Etsy, making activates creativity and handmade production in a world in which people are largely separated from the ways in which everyday objects are made. This global movement has its own magazine, Make, and hundreds of gatherings, called Maker Faires, all around the world each year.

Making isn’t something new, but new and newly-accessible technologies like 3D printers, online forums, and inexpensive arduino kits are breaking down barriers to making: many projects that previously required expensive equipment, software, and expertise can now be done in a classroom or home with a few hundreds dollars and a little gumption. And as the community has grown and makerspaces and Maker Faires have popped up in communities all over the world, makers have emerged from their isolated basements and garages to share approaches, spark new ideas, and collaborate on projects that result in new and innovative solutions to today’s problems.

Maker Learning

The hands-on problem solving and interdisciplinary skills involved in making add up to powerful learning opportunities for young people. In and out of schools, young makers combine physical and digital skills from science and engineering, technology and media, crafting, and the arts to learn how to work together to solve problems. Maker learning is about developing the curiosity to explore new ideas and the confidence to tackle difficult challenges, all while learning to use tools and materials to make (and re-make) the world around you.

For students who catch the maker bug, these interdisciplinary, hands-on approaches to learning provide opportunities to explore interests, make academic progress, and level-up skills that can lead to careers.

Makerspaces

As Pittsburgh’s thriving community of makers grows, the region has emerged as a national leader in Maker education. In schools, homes, museums, churches, libraries, and community centers, all over southwestern Pennsylvania, makerspaces and maker programs help learners make, play, and design using real materials, tools, and processes.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh region’s concentration of maker learning has informed best practices and national research as maker education catches on across the country and the world.